Don’t Tase Them, Bro

Pam’s House Blend makes the case that tasers are being used excessively. Her most disturbing (but, sadly least surprising) revelation is that blacks are getting disproportionately tased:

The abuse of this device is disproportionately deployed against minorities (surprised, no?). In Houston, an audit found incredible statistics:

Black officers are less likely to use Tasers, but black suspects are more likely to be jolted with the weapons, according to the first city audit of Taser use by Houston Police officers, KPRC Local 2 reported.

…The audit of 2.8 million calls to police from January 2000 to June 30, 2007, found black suspects make up 66.9 percent of all people zapped with the device, despite making up 46 percent of the total incidents and comprising 24.7 percent of the Houston population.

…The report spells out that most officers have only used their Taser one time, but one officer has used his on 13 people, another used it on 12 people. Two officers had shocked nine people each, and four officers had eight Taser incidents each.